Maria Isabella GIVEAWAY and Herb Seasoned Wild King Salmon

Good Evening my friends!  I'm racing to post this because I wanted to share it with you tonight... and we're eating it for dinner within the hour!

A while back, I became blog friends with Maria Isabella of Bits and Pieces blog.  She lives in Cleveland, Ohio and has written a book called, "In the Kitchen with Cleveland's Favorite Chefs." 

Maria asked each featured chef what they would prepare if they had one hour or less, for good friends unexpectedly stopping by. I love that!  I always want to know what real chefs eat at home.  The description on her book says, "Each chef shares detailed recipes for delicious signature meals that can be prepared quickly and easily at home -- 119 dishes in all, including a wide range of meat, fish, and vegetarian choices to tempt every palate. Helpful wine pairings are offered as well. Accompanying each recipe are gorgeous full-color photographs featuring both the chefs and their culinary showpieces. Isabella's profiles of each chef offer fascinating insights into everything from personal life stories to tips for successful last-minute entertaining."

And guess what?

Maria is offering one of you lucky readers a copy of her book!!!  Not only that, but she shared a recipe from her book with me, from featured Chef Jim Perko.  I get the privilege of sharing it with YOU!  (and then I'm eating it for dinner when Adrain gets home.)

Herb-Seasoned Wild King Salmon with Mushrooms & Grape Tomatoes

¼ cup well-rinsed, drained, and finely diced white part of leek (see note)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided

Coarsely ground black pepper

Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon

4 (4-ounce) wild king salmon fillets, skinned and boned

16 fresh shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stems discarded, caps quartered

20 assorted-color grape tomatoes, halved

Leek Garnish (recipe below), optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375º.

2. Combine the leeks, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the parsley, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the salmon fillets and toss until well coated.

3. Fit a wire rack into a rimmed baking sheet. Place the salmon on the rack and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly opaque inside.

4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and about ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Sauté until lightly caramelized to bring out what Jim describes as “the umami flavor” (or savoriness). Remove the pan from the heat.

5. Place one salmon fillet in the center of each plate. Spoon the tomatoes and mushrooms around the fillets. If desired, arrange a few strands of leek garnish on top of each salmon fillet. Serve warm.

Note: To clean a leek, cut off and discard the dark green leaves just at the place where the light green starts, about an inch above the white part. Trim off the roots, then make a lengthwise cut from the top down almost through the bottom. Rinse the leek thoroughly under cold water, separating the leaves to make sure to get any dirt that may be hiding between them. Drain well and prepare as instructed.

Leek Garnish

1. Simmer ¼ cup finely julienned white part of leek in a saucepan with ½ cup vegetable stock until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

 I followed this recipe, but forgot to buy a lemon.  Oops.  So I gave the marinade a little hit of lemon juice. 

 I love mushrooms.  Especially shiitakes.

 I can tell you that I prepared this amid guitar and recorder practices happening in two separate rooms, fighting that broke out about phone usage, a dog going wild because she lost her ball under the couch (for the millionth time this week) and homework questions like, "Hey mom, what's a predicate?" Somehow, I was able to prepare this simple dish, and it turned out so amazing that I'm forcing myself not to nibble before we congregate at the table.  I'm serving it with rice.  Mmmmm.

 And it's pretty.

I forgot to mention that I am guest posting here, for Maria with a recipe for GF carrot cupcakes that I got from my friend Lissa a few years ago, and Cinnamon cream cheese frosting.  Please feel free to stop by and say hi to us over here! 

And if you'd like to win a copy of Maria Isabella's book, please leave us a comment here, answering the same question she asked Cleveland's chefs- "If you had good friends arriving in an hour, what meal would you whip up?"